Download In 762 the Muslim Ruler al Mansur built a capital city along the Tigris

The Golden Age of Islam
In 762 the Muslim Ruler al Mansur built a capital city along the Tigris River in present-day Iraq.
Baghdad quickly became the center of Muslim civilizations greatest achievements in science, art
and architecture.
The caliphs were chosen to govern the land and the religion of Islam. Caliph means “successor
to the Prophet”. The lands ruled by the caliph were called the caliphate. By 760 CE, the
caliphate extended from Arabia to the borders of India and China in the East, to North Africa and
Spain in the West.
Baghdad was the capital of the caliphate from the late 700s to the 1200s. It had about one
million residents. The Caliphs palace stood at the center of the city. Next to the palace was a
grand mosque. There were four main roads that went from Baghdad to all other parts of the
caliphate. Traders used these roads to bring goods from all over the caliphate. They traded
Arabian perfumes, Indian pepper, African ivory, Russian furs and Chinese dishware and paper.
Baghdad’s caliphs valued education. There was a large library in Baghdad called the House of
Wisdom. It housed Greek, Roman, and Indian works that were translated into Arabic.
Medicine:
In Baghdad, the first pharmacies were established in 754. They had the first trained pharmacists
who sold herbs, spices and medicines to the public.
Avicenna –
 Described how diseases spread through air and water.
 Stress causes stomach problems.
 Cancer can be cured through surgery.
There were many doctors that worked in traveling hospitals to give free treatment to people
throughout the caliphate.
Mathematics:
Al Kwarizmi was born in 780 in Baghdad. He is considered the founder of algebra based on
books he wrote about algebra and geometry.
Al Kwarizmi also:
 was a scholar in the House of Wisdom
 he was among the first to use zero as a place holder
 he wrote a book about geography and used latitude and longitude more accurately than
anyone before him
Astronomy:
Astronomy was very important because the Islamic calendar is based on the moon’s movements.
Stars helped people determine direction. Muslims improved the astrolabe which was used to
help determine direction. It was very useful to sailors to find their way at sea. Muslim
cartographers used math to help make their maps more accurate. Their maps had lines, like
latitude and longitude, to help determine climate regions and locations.
The Arabic language and Islamic religion united all Muslims
.